Gemotions

The cafe buzzed with the afternoon rush. Amelia's hands, clammy, gripped the worn leather of her purse. Across the small table, Liam, her Liam, stared back at her with a polite, vacant smile. His eyes, once so familiar, seemed to look *through* her, not *at* her. The polite smile stretched tighter as she explained, again, about the treehouse, the scraped knees, the buried time capsule.

A sudden tremor ran through her, starting at her toes. She felt a chill, despite the warm air. She found herself fiddling with a loose thread on her jacket sleeve, pulling at it with increasing intensity.

"I just... I don't recall any of that," Liam finally said, his brow furrowing slightly. He gestured at his half-eaten sandwich. "It's… tasty. Sorry, what were you saying?" Amelia opened her mouth, but the words stuck. A wave of dizziness washed over her.